Jakarta, June 15 (Antara) -- In an effort to stabilize prices that
begin to soar ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, state-owned
logistics board Bulog has launched market operations in cooperation with
a number of ministries.
"In
the first phase, Bulog will provide 300 thousand tons of rice, 50 to
100 tons of shallots, and 25 thousand tons of sugar per day. For West
Java, Bulog will provide 120 tons of rice and 50 tons of sugar,"
President Director of Bulog Djarot Kusumayakti said in Cimahi, West
Java, at the launch of the market operations on Monday.
President Joko Widodo officiated the launch of simultaneous market
operations for food commodities by Bulog at the logistics board's office
in Cimahi, West Java.
In conducting the market operations, Bulog is cooperating with
state-owned companies (BUMN), ministries and trading firm PT Perdagangan
Indonesia.
"Now, we can see before us 30 trucks loaded with rice, sugar, and
shallots. These trucks are being prepared in cooperation with BUMNs, the
Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture," Kusumayakti stated.
Earlier, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman had revealed that his
ministry and Bulog will prepare 100 tons of shallots per day for market
operations.
Sulaiman added that these market operations will be held until the end
of the fasting month, which will commence on June 18 and end on July 16.
"We will prepare 100 tons (of shallots) per day. We harvested shallots
in Brebes in Central Java yesterday. This month, we have a stock of 140
thousand tons," Sulaiman stated while opening a shallot market operation
in Kramat Jati Wholesale Market in East Jakarta on Saturday.
According
to Kusumayakti, with the launch of the market operations, Bulog hopes
people will not be worried about any increase in the prices of basic
commodities.
Apart from West Java, market operations were also launched in South
Sumatra, North Sumatra, East Java, Central Java, Jakarta, and South
Sulawesi.
Kusumayakti noted in his report that Bulog was
preparing 30 trucks to conduct market operations for rice, cooking oil,
and shallots in West Java.
According to Minister Sulaiman, the price of shallots for the market
operations was set at Rp17,000 per kilogram for both retail and
wholesale traders.
"If the price rises to Rp17,000 or drops to Rp16,000 per kilogram, it
would not matter, would it? If the price increases marginally, we will
just let it be; there is no need to import the commodity. Let farmers
enjoy a slight hike in the price. They work hard for it," the minister
remarked.
He also instructed Bulog to sell shallots at a price lower than the market price.
"In Brebes, farmers sold shallots at Rp10,000 per kilogram yesterday. I
am convinced the price will be stable because market operations will be
conducted to cut the supply chain," he noted.
Furthermore, the prices of basic food commodities in various regions in
the country are showing an upward trend ahead of the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadan, which begins on June 18.
The basic food commodities whose prices have risen include rice, sugar,
wheat, chicken, potato, cooking oil, egg, garlic, shallot, chili,
cabbage, and other vegetables.
According to Sulaiman, prices often soar ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan due to bad trade regulations.
"The root cause of the problem is the supply and distribution chain. We
should improve trade regulations. In this regard, we have coordinated
with traders and the state logistics board (Bulog)," the minister stated
after visiting Kramat Jati Wholesale Market in Jakarta on Saturday.
In Jakarta, the average price of shallots is at Rp28,667 per kilogram;
garlic is at Rp16,300 per kilogram; red cayenne pepper is at Rp16,167
per kilogram; and green cayenne pepper at Rp13,333 per kilogram. The
price of jumbo red chili is at Rp20,667 per kilogram and that of curly
red chili is Rp18,833 per kilogram.
"The price of rice is also secure. We checked it in the traditional
market. Its price is between Rp7,000 to Rp8,000 per kilogram. Basically,
the prices of these commodities are still stable," the minister
affirmed.
The prices of basic commodities in traditional markets in Denpasar,
Bali, soared 50 percent due to high demand and low stocks.
The price of tomato surged to Rp6,000 per kilogram from Rp3,000 per
kilogram, and the price of red chili rose to Rp18,000 per kilogram from
Rp15,000 per kilogram.
In Surabaya, East Java, the price of local sugar in bulk rose
significantly by 6.42 percent in the first week of June to Rp12,600 per
kilogram from Rp11,840 per kilogram in the last week of May.
In addition, the price of broiler eggs rose 4.78 percent to Rp20,431 per kilogram from Rp19,500 per kilogram.
In response to price hikes, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the
government needs to increase the production of basic commodities to
control their prices, particularly ahead of the festivities that follow
the fasting month.
"Production and stock ensure security of basic needs, not presidential
regulations," Kalla stated at the Vice Presidential Office on Friday,
June 13.
Among other efforts made to stabilize prices is organizing bazaars such
as those launched by the Jakarta government and the Surabaya
administration in East Java.
In Jakarta, the provincial government will hold bazaars in five
municipalities. "We have prepared a plan to organize bazaars during the
fasting month. They will be held in five places in five municipalities,"
Head of the Jakarta Provincial Office of Cooperatives and Micro, Small
and Medium Businesses Joko Kundaryo stated on Friday.
To organize the bazaars, the office will also cooperate with the Trade Ministry, he added.
He further noted that the office will allow the involvement of private
companies, state enterprises, and regional apparatuses in the bazaars.
"We will provide an opportunity to other parties to sell basic
commodities in the bazaars at low prices. For instance, we will not mind
if the Jakarta provincial maritime affairs and agriculture office sells
meat at a low price in the bazaars," he remarked.
In East Java, the Surabaya city government will hold Ramadan bazaars in
20 different locations as part of efforts to control the prices of
basic commodities.
Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini pointed out that the prices of basic
commodities began to rise in the run-up to the fasting month and that
the city government needed to control them.
"So
Ramadan bazaars, which were originally planned to be held in 10 places
this year, will be organized in 20 places," she said while chairing a
coordination meeting on the control of commodity prices at the Surabaya
City Hall.
***3***
(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 15-06-2015 22:47 |
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